Sessions Calls War on Weed – He Grants Maker of Fentanyl a Monopoly on Synthetic THC

Jeff Sessions grants the monopoly of the sale of synthetic THC to a company that produces fentanyl, a drug which kills tens of thousands of people a year, and also promises to prosecute people for the possession and use of natural THC in the form of the plant marijuana or cannabis.

The Department of Justice has issued a memorandum announcing the decision by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reverse the policy that allows states to make their on decision on legalising marijuana.

Sessions has directed US Attorneys to enforce federal laws enacted by Congress under the Controlled Substances Act 1970 (CSA), prohibiting the cultivation, distribution, and possession of marijuana.

Sessions said:

“It is the mission of the Department of Justice to enforce the laws of the United States, and the previous issuance of guidance undermines the rule of law and the ability of our local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners to carry out this mission. Therefore, today’s memo on federal marijuana enforcement simply directs all U.S. Attorneys to use previously established prosecutorial principles that provide them all the necessary tools to disrupt criminal organizations, tackle the growing drug crisis, and thwart violent crime across our country.”

VICE reported that natural THC found in cannabis will remain classified as a Schedule I drug as the DEA finds the drug currently has no accepted medical use and high abuse potential. Whereas the DEA has classified the synthetic form of THC, Dronabinol, as a Schedule II drug, believing it is safer and more valuable medically.

In a seemingly unjust move the Attorney General and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have also granted the monopoly on the production and sale of synthetic THC to Insys Therapeutics – a pharmaceutical company that has had a proven history of corruption.

Six former executives and managers of Insys were arrested for engaging in a nationwide scheme bribing doctors to prescribe a drug containing the opioid fentanyl. Michael Baich, the former CEO of Insys, was also charged with an indictment in federal court. John Kapoor, the billionaire founder of the pharmaceutical company was also arrested for his role in the scheme but was released on bail for $1 million dollars after pleading not guilty.

When approached about this potential conflict of interest, the DEA responded:

“two commenters expressed concern that pharmaceutical companies are making a profit from approved drugs containing marijuana constituents. The DEA notes that FDA-approved products of oral solutions containing Dronabinol [synthetic THC] have an approved medical use, whereas marijuana does not have an approved medical use and therefore remains in Schedule I”.